Marketers, don’t blow smoke up my crossdressing skirt!
There’s an enjoyable little skirmish taking place at present that will be of interest to anyone who markets to the LGBTQ community. Canada will be enjoying the pleasure of a general election in a couple of months. The campaigning has started and while most politicians in Canada are firmly onside with LGBTQ rights, there’s a fly in the ointment.
The leader of the Conservative party, and hopeful for the post of Prime Minister, Andrew Scheer is on record in 2005 opposing gay marriage. His miraculous conversion to approving of gay marriage is seen as a deeply cynical move, by many in the community, to curry favor with voters. This set me to thinking about companies and political forces involved in trying to win over the LGBTQ community.
When one looks at companies like MAC Cosmetics, who have a history of supporting LGBTQ causes, we can see a heritage going back 40 years. These supporters have a proven commitment to a community that values their product and has learned to associate the brand with sincere efforts to further LGBTQ rights, awareness and issues. They’ve genuinely earned the respect of many people. A case in point is the tireless community support such as the grass roots level evident at events like THE MAC / POSITIVE LIVING MAKE-OVER, recently here in Vancouver. http://www.junctionpub.com/events/the-mac-positive-living-make-over/ In this case donations to the event were matched by MAC and as a result this event raised around $6000. This is one of many such events that takes place regularly.
When someone comes along with a miraculous recent conversion (which is likely to be rapidly forgotten the day after an election) it doesn’t really fool anyone. It’s more likely to result in a negative reception as it is so plainly an attempt to blow smoke up my crossdressing skirt. Would you trust someone like that?
The recent resignation of Executive Director of The Log Cabin Republicans, Ms. Jennifer Horn, has brought into focus a further example of the failure of politicians to gauge the intelligence of the audience they are preaching to. When a group like The Log Cabin Republicans express support for a President who has rolled back hard won positions regarding trans issues in the military, the level of willing blindness defies understanding. Once an organisation purporting to further LGBTQ interests, The Log Cabin Republicans can now be seen for precisely what they are — a false flag interest group designed to defend the indefensible.
The level of sophistication of the average LGBTQ voter or consumer is such that they’re not likely to be fooled by a purely cosmetic (pardon the pun) approach to associating a brand with the community. It’s important that marketers realise that attempting to position a brand in this space had better be sincere and meaningful, or else they’re going to be seen as the opportunist they are.
FD
http://fionadobson.com
